Sri Raya Ramanada Samvada: Svadharma-acarana, Carrying Out One's Own Prescribed Duties, Meaning of 'sarva-dharman-parityajya' & Svarupa Siddhi

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• Sri Raya Ramananda Samvada:
• Sriman Mahaprabhu approached Sri Raya Ramananda and asked His first question, "What does the jiva want and how will he attain it?" Everyone wants happiness. But sorrows, disease and death come; many kinds of problems also come.
• Materialistic happiness is not real happiness; it is only sorrow. People are always after "Three Ws," (Women, Wealth and Wine), and these three can never give true happiness in life.
• Raya Ramananda explained that if svadharma acarana (performing the prescribed Vedic activities) is adopted in life, then there will be happiness.
• We will have to perform bhajana because the Lord is the creator, caretaker, and we have come from Him; we are His part and parcel.
• 'Svadharma acarana' means don't tell lies, serve parents, serve Guru and guests because they are a form of the Lord. Along with the other worldly duties, one should worship Visnu.
• If Visnu bhakti along with varnasrama dharma is prominent, then it may give happiness.
• The soul has no relationship with varnasrama dharma because it is only related to body and mind. That is why it is called 'external.'
• The meaning of karma.
• Definition of 'sarva dharman parityajya' (Bhagavad Gita 18.66). Like Sukadeva Gosvami and Narada Muni, leave everything to achieve Krsna, then there will be no attachment to this material world. Give up attachment (to parents, wife, sons, daughters etc.) and think that they are all serving Krsna. Examples given to explain the verse 'sarva dharman parityajya'
• 1. Sri Rama left His wife Sita
• 2. Sukadeva gosvami left his father, Vyasadeva
• 3. Mahaprabhu set an example by leaving everything
• 4. King Hariscandra's story
• Krsna has said that for those who serve Me, I free them from all debts.
• If realization of any of the five rasas i.e. santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya, takes place, then that is called 'svarupa siddhi'.
• By serving Krsna, everyone is served.
• Bhakti is the dharma of the soul.
• One who is chanting like Srila Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami and Thakura Haridasa, are known to be acaryas, not others.
• Keep on chanting, reading, hearing and remembering from your siksa guru; it will help you to attain the stage of svarupa siddhi.
• Svarupa cannot be changed, it will remain the same.
• Who can get prema bhakti?
• Serving Krsna is called bhakti.
• Hearing about holy name, form, qualities and pastimes of Krsna, will lead to pure bhakti.
• In Vraja prema, there is no maryada (rules and regulations).
• Among the prema (love) of all the gopis, Radha's prema is supreme.
• Our final goal is to attain krsna-prema, not Krsna.
• Serving the love that Sri Radha has for Krsna is the topmost 'sadhya' (perfection).
• Mahaprabhu came to this world to give krsna-prema; we should aspire for that type of Guru who can give us the topmost mood of manjari bhava so that we can serve Srimati Radhika.